The story seen here is a duplication of a printed article written by William Markham from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was originally printed for a guitar collectors show..
Bill is an Epiphone memorobilia collector

The Ephiphone Company, prior
to their acquisition by the Chicago Musical Company in the mid 1950's crafted
thousands of quality guitars. Their acoustic Emperor Deluxe Broadway and Triumph
Masterbilt models, along with comparable Gibson guitars, are considered to be
the best factory made archtop instruments ever made.

However one of the most
fascinating guitars ever built by Ephiphone was not one of the Masterbilt Acoustics
but a natural 1946 Zephyr (electric) owned and played by the great Gypsy Jazz
guitarist Django Reinhardt.

As a player Django represents
one of the all time peaks of Jazz guitar supremacy. He was a talent that bordered
on and sometimes achieved a state of pure genius. He did more than any other
guitarist to create acceptance of solo virtuistic guitar and destroy the concept
of the instrument as a device purely for rhythm.

Throughout his career Django
almost exclusively used several of the French Selmer-Maccaferri guitars, easily
recognized by their distinctive shape and sound. After World War II he sometimes
used various American-made electric instruments which had been presented to
him by makers.

It was on Django's only
visit to the United States that he aquired Epiphone Zephyr #3442.

Duke Ellington was a fan
of Django's. They had met in Paris prior to World War II. In early 1946, "The
Duke" invited him to visit the United States and tour with his band as a featured
performer. Django accepted his offer and arrived in New York City in the month
of October. Django did not bring his Selmer-Maccaferri guitar with him from
France because he thought American guitar makers would vie with each other for
the honor of presenting a guitar to him.

He was mistaken about this
and as a result had no instrument to play on the tour.

Fortunately Django had an
old friend in the city on whom he could depend to help him, Joe Sinacore was
a New York studio guitarist who served in the army band during World War II.
While stationed in Paris he met Django. The Gypsy could not speak English well
but spoke Italian in addition to French. As Joe knew Italian as well as English
he became Django's unofficial interpreter and friend while he was in Paris.

Django contacted Joe and
told him he did not have a guitar for the Ellington concerts. Joe took him to
the Epiphone factory located on West 14th Street in New York City. It was there
that Django selected the natural Epiphone Zephyr #3442.

It is also possible that
he aquired a large electra amplifier at that time. According to Joe Sinacore
the Epiphone Company gave the guitar to Django which is contrary to Charles
Delaunay's biography of Reinhardt.

After aquiring the Epiphone
Django traveled with Duke Ellington by train to Cleveland, the first stop on
the tour. (November 1946).

The concert was reviewed
by the Cleveland "Plain Dealer." Of Reinhardt, they said; "In the hands of this
virtuoso the electric guitar aquires richer, magical qualities. His dexterity
was remarkable, in intricate chords that were executed with such technical brilliance
that the band musicians kept shouting "go to it Master."

"The Cleveland Press" also
reviewed the show, "Duke Ellington came to Cleveland yesterday...He introduced
in this country for the first time the hottest guitar player in the world."

After Cleveland the band
played to enthusiastic crowds in Chicago, St Louis, Detroit, Kansas City, Pittsburgh,
and closed with two nights (November 23rd and 24th) in New York City at Carnegie
Hall.

After the tour Django worked
at "Cafe Society" before returning to France taking the Epiphone with him.

Reinhardt never returned
to the United States. He spent the remainder of his life successfully touring
the continent usually with small groups similar to the legendary "Quintet of
the Hot Club of France" that he formed with violinist Stephane Grappelly in
1934.

During this period the rare
film footage of Django playing the natural Epiphone Zephyr through a large Electar
Amplifier was made.

Django's last important
appearance was with Dizzy Gillespie in the Spring of 1953. The following May
he died at the Hospital in Fountainbleu near his home at samois from a stroke.
He was forty three years old.

In 1967 Fred Sharp, a noted
guitarist and owner of the largest collection of Django Reinhardt recordings
in the United States, was invited by Charles Delaunay, Django's biographer,
to come to Paris. Delaunay wanted to record Fred and Babik
Reinhardt, Django's son an accomplished guitarist in his own right.

During their work together
Babik learned of Sharp's life long interest in his Fathers music. When Fred
Sharp left France, Babik presented him with a bon voyage gift...Django's Epiphone.

As noted in the "Plain Dealer,"
Sunday, November 5, 1967, one of the treasures brought back from Europe by Freddie
Sharp, the Cleveland heights band leader, is a six string guitar formerly owned
by Django Reinhardt, the late, great, French guitarist.

"I was overwhelmed when
Babik Reinhardt, son of Django gave it to me as a bon voyage gift", Freddie
said as he displayed the cherished present.

"This is the instrument
his father played in Duke Ellington's Orchestra on his American concert tour
in 1946. Django also played it at New York's old Cafe Society Uptown Club where
I heard and met him."

Sharp, a guitar virtuoso
himself, and his singing wife Iris, flew to France to tape a new record a new
record with Babik's studio Jazz band for Disques Vogue records in Paris.

It was an extremely happy
merger of talents, "as well as a memorable experience", the Clevelander reported.
The recording date was arranged after a long exchange of letters and tapings
with Babik and Charles Delaunay, production director of Disques Vogue releases.

"Several mutual friends
also recommended me to Delaunay for this project," Freddie said. "He was impressed
too, by the fact that I own 885 sides of Django's tapes and famous recordings.
It is one of the largest collections in the United States."

In Paris, Sharp met several
noted musician who had been friends of Jean Baptiste ("Django") Reinhardt, the
Belgian born gypsy jazz muscian who influenced guitarists throughout the world
for over 30 years.

"His son is one of the finest
jazz guitarists on the contemporary scene," Sharp commented. "Babik and his
combo sounded so great at Le Club du Jazz in Paris that I am hoping to arrange
a tour of the States for them."

Freddie, who once toured
in Red Norvo's and Jack Teagarden's orchestras, was asked if he plans to play
Django's guitar in future shows.

"Oh no! Definitely not!"
he replied. "I treasure this museum piece so much for sentimental reasons that
I would not sell it for less than 50 million dollars."

Fred can
still be contacted and is
as chipper as he was all those years ago.
.